Michael is a real estate professional and former land use attorney with 25 years of experience in housing development, construction innovation, and public policy.

In 2023, he launched Black Oak Group a strategic advisory to developers and technology startups, including Google and Airbnb.

He also co-founded Social Construct, a venture-backed construction tech startup. As a partner at BUILD, Inc., he developed over 2,000 units of multifamily housing. He was a director of MX Studio (under Lendlease Digital). He has served as a senior advisor to San Francisco mayors Gavin Newsom and Ed Lee.